


Perfect Moment

by FireAndIce21



Category: Neighbours (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 05:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19882642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireAndIce21/pseuds/FireAndIce21
Summary: A short story from Terese's POV. My first fan fiction ever. A bit of fluff :)





	Perfect Moment

The gondola swayed softly as they went along the canal, at sunset. Just a few days prior they had been in London with Paul’s granddaughter Harlow, meeting her mother and taking in a few sights. Now in the warm but cool with the movement of the gondola here in Venice, Terese felt content and at peace. Paul’s arm went around her and she snuggled into his shoulder. Paul was something else, Vance was a bad boy being edgy it attracted her, as a teenage girl. Paul was just as much that but on a intellectual level that she appreciated, as much as she hated to admit it. He was so much more than a one trick pony like Vance could ever be.

Brad in the early times of her marriage made her feel safe, maybe too safe, life was easy but so beige. When he cheated on her it hurt, not just for herself, her upbringing was that the man you have children with you stay with no matter how hard it gets. It went all against what she had stood for, when things were tough between her parents, she vowed to keep her own family together always. In a way she had never been more free when she finally realised it was all over. The children accepted it and still loved them both, that was what mattered. Brad there was no passion and she needed that because of her personality, Paul she could never deny was not a passionate man especially when it came to her. But the experience of her marriage had left her scarred physically from the fire and emotionally she never wanted to be hurt again. It was a big part of why she had taken so long to allow herself to let Paul in.

Paul made her safe but never to the point of boredom, but to the point that she knew had it been him when the fire had occurred he would have saved her. He even told her as much before they were together. When she was diagnosed with cancer he was the first to know something was wrong, he was the one to support her. Piper went missing he was the one she went too first, because she knew with Paul he would do no matter what it took to help her. Like when Sonya’s cancer brought it all back, it was Paul she needed, the one she could confide in. The night Josh died they were not a couple but he held her all night, they did not speak a word. She could not talk about it at the time. She knew as the morning came and he was still holding her, then at that moment there was no one else, bar her son Josh did she want there more. It was the worst day of her life and Paul had kept her together. That was what real safety was.

She had never known that intensity before and it delighted her but it used to scare her. Occasionally it still did. As much as Paul made her feel safe, she always worried she could not trust her heart with him. It was not because he would hurt her in the physical way, but she loved him so much, to give herself to him would mean making herself vulnerable to the man she loved more than any other man even her ex husband Brad, the father of her children. That hurt badly enough. No one could make her as infuriated as Paul could, but nobody could she love as much as him. Finally she met her match, her equal, the person who truly got her. As Susan told her when she found out they were together “He knows you” and that was certainly true he did. Better than anyone. The same was true for much for her knowing him. It was such a scary but exciting prospect as they started their lives together now as a couple. She knew no matter what happened he would always be the love her life, whether together or not. Nobody could ever match up to Paul and finally she could be honest about that with herself after denying it for so long.

She was so at peace that she had not realised the gondola had stopped. She came back to the present when she felt Paul get up on to the bank, pay the gondolier and hold out his hand to her, to help her off on the land. She took it and stepped onto the bank. It truly was an exquisite evening, the sunset had made the sky ablaze with magnificent colours. They walked a short distance hand in hand.  
”Paul can we stop and just look at this sunset for a while”  
”Of course, I was about to say the same thing” he had a gleam in his eye, whenever he was excited or happy about something. She smiled before turning around, holding on to the railing at the canal bank to watch the sky. She felt Paul’s arms come around her from behind and his head on her shoulder. They stayed in this embrace for several minutes no words exchanged. She felt like she would remember this moment forever. She readied herself. Could this be the moment? She wanted to ask him again when the time was right. She moved slowly out of his embrace as if to lean a little forward and took a deep breath she was not aware she had been holding in. Now was the perfect moment she decided, she would ask now. As she went to face him  
“oof” Paul grimaced.  
“Oh Paul did you trip, with your, erm,leg that must be uncomfortable here let me get you up” she held out her hand to him.  
Instead of using it to help pull him up he stayed in the uncomfortable position he was on with his good leg resting on one knee.  
”I did not trip, I put myself in this position on purpose”  
”What? Come on do not be proud let me help you up” She held out her hand again, but he just caressed it.  
“Terese Willis, I am no poet and I am so nervous at what you might say. I will just say it. Will you marry me?” He pulled a box out of his pocket showing a beautiful diamond solitaire ring.  
Terese laughed.  
“Terese that is not an answer” he started to grimace slightly more.  
“I am sorry for laughing, just I thought this was the perfect moment to ask you the same thing”  
”Well I beat you to it, didn’t I?”  
”Well technically…”  
”Technically you have not given me an answer”  
”Yes,yes yes yes!” Terese exclaimed smiling and giggling.  
Paul beamed at her joy and took the hand she held out and put the ring on her wedding finger, it was a perfect fit.  
”Oh Paul, it is lovely and I love you. Now let me help you up, you are clearly in pain”  
”I love you too” but with his other hand he used the railing to help himself up.  
”Paul, will you ever do what I tell you to do?”  
”Terese when your my wife, you can tell me what to do all the time”  
”So you can ignore it?”  
”No so I can do it, and complain about my nagging, beautiful, intelligent, and perfect wife, I just realised your going to be my wife”  
”The next Mrs Robinson”  
”No ,the last and the only Terese Robinson”  
Now both standing he put his hand in hers again and felt the ring in her finger. It looked and felt like it was always meant to be there.  
“Paul, I was just thinking how this was the perfect moment to get engaged”  
”Well that is why we picked it. We picked our perfect moment”  
She nodded and smiled back as they started to walk as the sky darkened Terese sighed  
”Such a beautiful night”  
”Well I am going to say the cheesy thing but truthful thing and tell you the most beautiful thing is you”  
They both leaned in and kissed, as Terese’s hand went around Paul’s neck as they deepened the kiss the first stars of the clear night sparkled off her ring. As they enjoyed their perfect moment.


End file.
